3 Steps to Find Your Illustration Style
Everyone’s artistic style is different; what is yours?
There are so many great inspiration sites lined with artwork from talented designers. Dribbble and Pinterest are my favorite. Both started as collaborative sites for artists, designers and creators to share there work and get feedback but each have grown into their own “mosters”. One has become a billion dollar search engine and the other a portfolio site for the design elite. Both can be extremely overwhelming.
For the record, I’m not arguing these powerful sites are bad for our design society; I’m simply beginning with the notion that looking at the more successful masters of creation may NOT be the most uplifting way to find your own style.
Step One: List Items You Love
List 50-100 things/people/places in this world you love.
Maybe start with those you know the best, your house, your family or your pets. Then think bigger. You can even list mantras or quotes. Historical people you admire and study. Places you remembered as a child.
Below is a list of 25 guided ideas to get you started.
Favorite latte art
Favorite American Sign Language word
Car of your dreams
Ugliest animal
Messiest food
Dream vacation location
Lucky outfit
Mom’s go-to slogan
What you’re looking at right now
Best friend’s hands
Chilhood monster
What’s outside your bedroom window
Celebrity crush
Most memorable mustache
Go-to grocery store
Futuristic underwear
Partner laughing
Most beautiful flower
State bird
Last visited national park
Kindergarten crush
All physical items in your morning routine
Dad’s work look
What a cool person looks like to you
Sad emotions you’ve felt
This is the most important first step because we, as designers, want to spend time drawing what we are most passionate about. We want to draw what we know. Simply, we are so unique that we can only share what we know—not what someone else is passionate about.
If you are extremely passionate about the Sun; draw a collection of suns. If you love all the coffee shops you’ve visited so far in 2020; draw them.
People are attracted to your perspective; not necessarily the content. When a 100k people pin the drawing of a lion, they aren’t all extreme lion enthusiasts. They love the artists perspective of the animal. Maybe the abnormal colors, textures or lines. Egon Shiele was an artist in the early 1900s who had a passion for the human body and sexuality. His art was grotesque and emotional, almost unclean. But I fell in love with it in college. I don’t necessarily love men and women relating with one another; but I absolutely loved his perspective. Looking at his art was one of the first times I believed being weird was an asset. I believed having a unique perspective was powerful.
All that to say, your perspective matters. Your passions can change the mind of a complete stranger.
Step Two: Draw, Draw, Draw
Start drawing the listed items without looking at photos online or in a book of how other’s have drawn them. Start even from a stick figure. Start with lines. Close your eyes and think about what you remember.
One thing you can do for aid is reference the item/thing itself. You can look at a photo of the dream destination or a photo of your dad in his favorite suit. Just don’t look at another artist’s work.
You will make mistakes. You will need an eraser. It may take days, weeks, months. But be true to your voice and make the effort to work through the discomfort. It is uncomfortable.
Not liking your work is the first step. IT’S STILL YOUR WORK, which is AMAZING. As you continue to draw you will like what you’ve made more and more. I promise.
Step Three: Critical Inspiration
When you have drawn all the items on your list and you’re looking at them in a notebook or on a collection of papers, then can you open up other’s art and see what you like and don’t like.
With your work next to you open Pinterest or Dribbble and see how other artists mastered the colors, and their line technique. Be kind to yourself, but make little changes here and there of what you like about your work while admiring another’s work.
Keep the base of your work. That is truly yours. But advance your amazing pieces by adding cool textures someone else inspired or powerful colors.
As you continue to draw, these are good steps to keep. Start with an idea then draw it, then critique it. So many times we just draw the art we see other’s create. Honestly, if you can do that it means you’re already a talented artist; you just haven’t put in the hard part of working through the discomfort.
Take your work to the next level and work through the hard parts. Work through the ugly. Work through the failure.
You got this.
Also, I’d love to hear from you is you have items on your list that are hilarious or thoughtful. Our lists are the basis of us. I would love to get to know you. Feel free to drop me a line on IG @kennisays or via email [email protected]. We are all in this journey together and I know it can be really hard, and some times hilarious. You all are awesome!